Armored vehicles including a turret fitted with an automatic gun fed from cartridge belt sections packed in boxes



1, 1967 R. DE MEISS ARMORED VEfiICLES INCLUDING A TUHRET FITTED WITH AN AUTOMATIC GUN FED FROM CARTRIDGE BELT SECTIONS PACKED IN BOXES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 25. 1965 Aug. 1, 1967 R. DE MEISS ARMOREID VEHICLES INCLUDING A TURRET FITTED WITH AN AUTOMATIC GUN FED FROM CARTRIDGE BELT SECTIONS PACKED IN BOXES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 25, 1965 United States Patent ARMORED VEHICLES INCLUDING A TURRET FITTED WITH AN AUTOMATIC GUN FED FROM CARTRIDGE BELT SECTIONS PACKED IN BOXES Ren de Meiss, Geneva, Switzerland, assrgnor to Brevets Aero-Mecaniques S.A., Geneva, Switzerland, a society of Switzerland Filed Oct. 25, 1965, Ser. No. 505,155 Claims priority, application Luxembourg, Nov. 7, 1964, 47,304 9 Claims. (CI. 8936) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The armored vehicle comprises a turrent for an automatic gun fed fro-m cartridge belts previously housed in ammunition boxes intended to be stored in the vehicle. A guiding support rotating together with the turret receives one ammunition box in firing position for directly feeding the cartridge belt to the gun and one ammunition box in waiting position, said guiding support further comprising a lower chamber for evacuation of an empty box.

The present invention relates to armored vehicles including a turret fitted with an automatic gun fed from cartridge belt sections which are packed in ammunition boxes intended to be stored in the vehicle, said boxes being successively brought into service by securing to the cartridge belt section already engaged in the gun, another cartridge belt section contained in a box brought by the gunner close to the box containing the cartridge belt section already engaged in the gun. The invention is more especially concerned with armored vehicles of the light weight type, that is to say weighing from to metric tons.

The chief object of the present invention is to provide an armored vehicle of this type which is particularly well adapted to meet the requirements of practice, in particular concerning the operations to be performed by the gunner for feeding fresh ammunition boxes to the automatic gun mounted in the turret.

The vehicles with which the present invention is concerned include, on the one hand, storing areas, within reach of the gunner, adapted to receive the ammunition boxes to be used, which are then in storing position, and on the other hand, a guide rotatable together with the turret and along which is applied an ammunition box in firing position.

According to the present invention, said guide is adapted further to accommodate in waiting position, at least one other ammunition box, called replacement box," taken from the set of ammunition boxes in storing position and capable of being substituted, by a sliding displacement along said guide, for the ammunition box in firing position once this last mentioned box has been emptied, means being provided, along said guide, to release therefrom an empty ammunition box in firing position when it is evacuated by gravity and leaves the place free for said ammunition box in waiting position, then shifted into firing position.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be hereinafter described with reference to the appended drawings, given merely by way of example, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatical view showing, in elevation with portions cut away, part of an armored vehicle made according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view, with spending to FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an elevational view, with parts cut away, of

parts cut away, corre- 3,333,507 Patented Aug. l, 1967 an ammunition feed device according to the present invention;

FIG. 4 is an elevati-onal view corresponding to FIG. 3 but where no parts are cut away;

FIG. 5 is an end view seen from the direction of arrow V of FIG. 4, with parts cut away; and

FIG. 6 is a plan view, seen from the direction of arrow VI of FIG. 4, with parts cut away.

The example illustrated by the drawings relates to the case of a light armored vehicle having a rotary turret fitted with an automatic gun of twenty millimeters caliber.

This vehicle comprises an armored body [provided at the top thereof with a rotatable turret 2 having a trap door 2a. This turret 2 is mounted on a roller track 3 and is fitted with an automatic gun 4 pivotable about a horizontal axis XX and which is fed, through a feed mechanism 5, from an ammunition box 6.

The lower portion of the vehicle is provided, under turret 2, with a clear area forming a stationary, non rotatable, floor upon which the gunner can stand. Advantageously, as shown, this floor is the top wall 7a of a hollow cylindrical pedestal 7 rigid with the body 1 of the vehicle.

Ammunition for the vehicle is packed in a plurallty of ammunition boxes designated in a general manner by reference numeral 8, each of these boxes containing a cartridge belt section (for instance including twenty cartridges) disposed, for instance in zigzag fashion, so that it can be extracted directly from its box by feed mechanism 5 once said box has been brought into a position close to gun 4 and the belt section therein has been secured by its front end to the preceding belt section already engaged in said feed mechanism.

The ammunition boxes may be disposed at any suitable place in the vehicle, for instance inside pedestal 7, which is then provided with a gate for the introduction of said boxes. Of course the boxes must be stored in such manner on the inside of the vehicle that they can be reached either by the gunner himself or by another member of the crew of the vehicle.

There is provided, close to the gunner for instance, and, as shown, on the portion of the inner flange of turret 2 diametrally opposed to gun 4, a set of storing areas within reach of the gunner and where ammunition boxes 8 for instance three of them, are temporarily disposed being transferred, for firing, to a guide 9 diagrammatically illustrated by FIGS. 1 and 2.

According to the invention, guide 9 is adapted to receive, in addition to an ammunition box 8 in firing position, at least one ammunition box 8 intended to be substituted for said box 8 once the latter has been emptied from its cartridge belt, means being provided to permit evacuation by gravity of ammunition box 8, after it has been emptied.

The empty box thus evacuated is advantageously received at 8 in a lower compartment 9a rigid with guide 2 and having an open side wall for extraction of said empty Guide 9 is offset with respect to the diametral plane of the turret passing through the axis of gun 4, on the side where the gun is to be fed with ammunition, to wit on the right hand side in the embodiment illustrated by the drawings, as shown by FIG. 2. Evacuation of an empty box 8 is effected by moving it toward the center of the turret, as indicated by arrow F in FIG. 2.

Guide 9 is preferably located at such a height that the ammunition boxes 8 and 8 that cooperate therewith are located, at least approximately, between the level of the turret roller track 3 and the level of the horizontal axis XX about which gun 4 is pivotable for aiming in elevation.

On the other hand, guide 9 is advantageously inclined from the rear toward the front in the downward direction. This facilitates, on the one hand, extraction of the cartridge belt sections toward the gun, and, on the other hand, the shifting of ammunition boxes from the waiting position (position of box 8 to the firing position (position of box 8 thereof.

It is advantageous to provide, ahead of guide 9 and in the direction of the horizontal axis XX about which the gun is pivoted, a trough l rigid with the turret and with guide 9 and adapted to support the portion of the cartridge belt extracted from the box 8 in firing position over a path extending as far as said axis XX, where are providing two toothed rotors 11 mounted loose and meshing with the cartridge belt to ensure a correct positioning thereof before it enters a curved trough 12 which projects to the outside of turret 2 and leads to the inlet of feed mechanism 5, said trough 12 being movable together with the gun owing to a pivotal mounting 12a about axis XX.

It is of interest to provide guide 9 on the one hand with releasable locking means cooperating with the ammunition box 8 in firing position, and on the other hand with releasable locking means cooperating with the ammunition box 8 in waiting position and adapted to maintain this last mentioned box out of contact with box 8 in firing position, so that the evacuation of said box 8 can take place without risk of interference, i.e., friction or engagement, with the box 8 intended to replace it.

FIGS. 3 to 6 disclose an embodiment of my invention. With this construction it is possible:

(a) on the one hand, temporarily to lock a box in firing position 8 and a box in waiting position 8 these boxes being not in contact with each other,

(b) on the other hand, to cause the box 8 in firing position and which has been unlocked when emptied, to come into position 8 in compartment 9a from which it is extracted manually by the gunner or any other member of the crew of the vehicle, and

(c) still on the other hand, and after the box 8 previously in firing position has been evacuated, to cause the box 8 in waiting position (after it has been unlocked and its ammunition belt section has been secured to the belt section that is being fired, as shown by FIG. 3) to come into the waiting position previously occupied by box 8 The guide for the boxes includes two parallel upper rails, designated by reference numeral 9, inclined frontwardly and downwardly and located at a distance E, from each other a little greater than the width E of the ammunition boxes 8, as visible on FIG. 5.

The ammunition boxes are provided, on their parallel side walls, with projecting flanges 13 adapted to slide under rails 9.

The support for said boxes is fitted with under rails 14a and 14b adapted to fit under the box side flanges 13. One of said under rails, 14a, is located at the rear and is fixed in such manner as constantly to support the box 8 in waiting position. The other under rail, 14b, located at the front is retractable so as to be able to release the box 8 in firing position once it has been emptied, thus permitting of evacuating it by gravity into the lower compartment 9a (as shown at 8 on FIG. 3).

Preferably each retractable rail 14b consist of an L- shaped girder section the upper wing of which constitutes the rail adapted to cooperate with box flanges 13. This rail section 14b is pivotable about an axis 15, and a return spring 16 is provided for constantly urging rail 14b toward its active position in which the lower wing of said girder is applied against the wall of support 9, as shown on the right hand side of FIG. 5. However said spring 16 must be sufficiently weak to yield under the weight of an empty ammunition box.

Retractable locking means are provided to prevent rail sections 14b from pivoting into the position shown on the left hand side of FIG. under the effect of the weight of ammunition box 8 As shown by FIGS. 46 said locking means are made as follows:

Each pivoting rail section 145 is provided on its lower edge with notches C Two bars 17 slidable along guide 9 are provided with teeth C of a shape corresponding to that of said notches C However the distance between teeth C is a little greater than the width of notches C Thus, when teeth C are located opposite notches C said teeth can move through said notches and the rail section 14b that is considered is retracted by pivoting under the action of the weight of box 8 On the contrary, rail portions 14b are kept in active position as long as bar 17 is in a position where the edge portions of rail sections 1412 located between the notches C thereof are located against the teeth C of said bar 17.

FIG. 4 shows the parts in this last mentioned position, where teeth C prevent rotation of rail sections 14b. FIG. 5 shows, on the right hand side thereof, the same position of bar 17. On the contrary, on the left hand side of FIG. 5, bar 17 has been moved to permit rail portions 14!) to retract.

A single operating member produces the displacements of the bars 17 located on opposite sides of the boxes, respectively, with an amplitude corresponding to the distance between the teeth C of said bars 17. A single spring 17a interposed between one of the bars 17 and guide 9, urges the parts into the position where they lock rail sections 1417 in active position.

For this purpose, bars 17 are hinged through pivot axes 18 to the ends of a lever 19 pivoted at 20 to the front wall of guide 9, said lever 19 being provided at one end thereof with a control handle 21.

It will be understood that, when handle 21 is moved toward the front against the action of spring 17a, bars 17 are moved in opposed directions, respectively, and through equal distances corresponding to the distance between two consecutive teeth C The device further comprises retractable locking means for boxes 8 and 8 The locking means, relative to box 8 consist of a pivoting locking member 22 carrying a rectangular pawl 22a adapted to engage into a notch 23 provided in the middle portion of one of the side flanges 13 of an ammunition box, said locking member 22 comprising an operating ring 22b and a return spring 220 urging it toward its active position.

The locking means relative to the ammunition box 8 in firing position comprise a pivoting locking member 24 carrying a pawl 24a, an operating ring 24b and a return spring 24c. However, in this case, pawl 24a, instead of being of rectangular shape, is provided at the rear with an inclined edge so that when a box passes from the waiting position 8 to the firing position 8 it automatically lifts locking member 24 by acting upon the inclined edge of its pawl 24a, said locking member coming back into locking position, under the action of its return spring 24c, when the notch 23 of the side flange 13 of the box that is considered comes opposite said pawl 14a.

This device works in the following manner, it being supposed that, initially the gun is not loaded and guide 9 is empty of any ammunition box.

The gunner catches a box in storing position, and after having lifted locking member 22 through its ring 22b, it engages said box against guide 9 by inserting the flange 13 of the box between rails 9 and 14a. He pushes this box until notch 23 has moved past the pawl 22a of locking member 22, after which he releases ring 22b. He keeps pushing the box toward the front so as to lift locking member 24 and the ammunition box comes into firing position 8 where the pawl 24a of locking member 24 drops into notch 23, thus locking the ammunition box in firing position.

The gunner then extracts a portion of the ammunition belt section contained in the box and engages it into the feed passage leading to feed mechanism 5, and then into said feed mechanism.

The gunner then brings into waiting position a box 8 taken from the reserve of boxes 8 in storing position. When, after operation of the gun, the ammunition belt contained in the box 8 in firing position is near being consumed, the gunner secures the front end of the ammunition belt contained in box 8 to the rear end of the portion of ammunition belt still present in box 8 The gun having been further fired, box 8 is empty and the gun begins to be fed from box 8 in waiting position. The gunner then evacuates box 8 by operating handle 21 which controls bars 17 so that the empty box 8 comes into position 8 in chamber 9a from which it is subsequently evacuated manually through the open wall of said chamber 9a.

The gunner then releases handle 21 and bars 17, pulled by spring 17a, come back into the position where they prevent rotation of rail portions 141), which, once released from the load of box 8 have been returned into active position, by their return springs 16.

The gunner then lifts locking member 21 and may push forward the box 8 in waiting position to bring it into firing position, at 8 A new ammunition box is then brought into Waiting position 8 this box being one of those precedingly in storing position at 8 In a general manner, while the above description discloses what is deemed to be a practical and etficient embodiment of the present invention, said invention is not limited thereto as there might be changes made in the arrangement, disposition and form of the parts without departing from the principle of the invention as comprehended within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A vehicle which comprises, in combination,

a body,

a turret rotatably carried by said body about an axis fixed with respect thereto and vertical in the normal position of said body, said body and said turret limiting together a closed space,

an automatic gun carried by said turret,

a plurality of ammunition boxes, with an ammunition belt section in each of said boxes,

means for storing said boxes in said closed space,

an ammunition box guide rigid with said turret adapted slidably to guide at least two of said ammunition boxes disposed one behind the other,

releasable holding means for maintaining against said guide an ammunition box in a firing position Where the ammunition belt section of said last mentioned box can be engaged in said gun,

fixed holding means rigid with said turret adapted to keep an ammunition box in waiting position applied against said guide behind the box in firing position, and

means for making said releasable holding means inoperative so that the ammunition box in firing position can be evacuated by gravity, to be replaced by the ammunition box in waiting position by a sliding displacement thereof along said guide.

2. A vehicle which comprises, in combination,

a body,

a circular roller track at the top of said body having its axis fixed with respect to said body and vertical in the normal position of said body,

a turret rotatably mounted on said roller track, said body and said turret limiting together a closed space,

an automatic gun pivoted to said turret about a horizon tal axis fixed with respect to said turret,

a plurality of ammunition boxes, with an ammunition belt section in each of said boxes,

means for storing said boxes in said closed space,

an ammunition box guide rail rigid with said turret adapted to cooperate with at least two of said ammunition boxes disposed one behind the other under said rail and in contact therewith,

releasable holding means for maintaining against said guide an ammunition box in a firing position where the ammunition belt section of said last mentioned box can be engaged in said gun,

an ammunition box support rigid with said turret and located under said releasable holding means so that an ammunition box released by said holding means can drop by gravity from said firing position into said support when said holding means is released,

fixed holding means rigid with said turret adapted to keep an ammunition box in waiting position applied against said guide behind the box in firing position, and

means for making said releasable holding means inoperative so that the ammunition box in firing position can drop into said ammunition box support to be replaced by the ammunition box in waiting position by a sliding displacement thereof along said guide rail.

3. A vehicle according to claim 2, wherein said box support has an open side face for extraction of the empty ammunition box dropped into said support.

4. A vehicle according to claim 3, wherein said guide is offset with respect to the diametral plane of the turret passing through the axis of the gun, on the sine from which said gun is fed with ammunition, extraction of an empty ammunition box taking place by horizontal displacement thereof toward the center of the turret.

5. A vehicle according to claim 2, wherein said guide is located in such manner that the ammunition boxes that cooperate therewith are located, at least approximately, between the level of said roller track and the level of said horizontal axis.

6. A vehicle according to claim 2, wherein said guide is inclined downwardly toward the front.

7. A vehicle according to claim 2 further comprising, ahead of said guide and in the direction of said horizontal axis, a trough fixed with respect to said turret and to said guide and adapted to support the cartridge belt extracted from the ammunition box in firing position.

8. A vehicle according to claim 7 further comprising, in the vicinity of said horizontal axis, two toothed rotors meshing with the cartridge belt and ensuring a correct positioning thereof and a curved trough projecting to the outside of said turret and leading to the gun, said last mentioned trough being rigid with said gun.

9. A vehicle according to claim 2, further comprising, movably mounted on said guide, releasable locking means adapted to cooperate with the ammunition box in firing position and releasable locking means adapted to cooperate with the ammunition box in Waiting position and capable of keeping said last mentioned box out of contact with the ammunition box in firing position, so that evacuation of an emptied ammunition box in firing position can take place without engagement or friction with the ammunition box in waiting position.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,845,508 2/1932 Minshall. 2,010,742 8/1935 Sutter 89-33 2,951,422 9/1960 Bobkowski 89-33 BENJAMIN A. BORCHELT, Primary Examiner. S. C. BENTLEY, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A VEHICLE WHICH COMPRISES, IN COMBINATION, A BODY, A TURRET ROTATABLY CARRIED BY SAID BODY ABOUT AN AXIS FIXED WITH RESPECT THERETO AND VERTICAL IN THE NORMAL POSITION OF SAID BODY, SAID BODY AND SAID TURRET LIMITING TOGETHER A CLOSED SPACE, AN AUTOMATIC GUN CARRIED BY SAID TURRET, A PLURALITY OF AMMUNITION BOXES, WITH AN AMMUNITION BELT SECTION IN EACH OF SAID BOXES, MEANS FOR STORING SAID BOXES IN SAID CLOSED SPACE, AN AMMUNITION BOX GUIDE RIGID WITH SAID TURRET ADAPTED SLIDABLY TO GUIDE AT LEAST TWO OF SAID AMMUNITION BOXES DISPOSED ONE BEHIND THE OTHER, RELEASABLE HOLDING MEANS FOR MAINTAINING AGAINST SAID GUIDE AN AMMUNITION BOX IN A FIRING POSITION WHERE THE AMMUNITION BELT SECTION OF SAID LAST MENTIONED BOX CAN BE ENGAGED IN SAID GUN, FIXED HOLDING MEANS RIGID WITH SAID TURRET ADAPTED TO KEEP AN AMMUNITION BOX IN WAITING POSITION APPLIED AGAINST SAID GUIDE BEHIND THE BOX IN FIRING POSITION, AND MEANS FOR MAKING SAID RELEASABLE HOLDING MEANS INOPERATIVE SO THAT THE AMMUNITION BOX IN FIRING POSITION CAN BE EVACUATED BY GRAVITY, TO BE REPLACED BY THE AMMUNITION BOX IN WAITING POSITION BY A SLIDING DISPLACEMENT THEREOF ALONG SAID GUIDE. 